Closure for vessels



,(No Model.)

F. A. WALSH.

CLOSURE FOR VESSELS;

Patented June 14.1898.

I NlTED STATES ATENT FRANCIS A. IVALSH, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

CLOSUREFOR VESSELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 605,528, dated June 14, 1898.

' Applicatioii filed May 24, 1897. $erial No. 637,821. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS A. WALSH, a

' citizen of the United States, and a resident of Milwaukee, in the county'of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Closures for Vessels; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to closures for vessels; and it consists in means whereby a vessel may be securely closed by a cover wholly or partly of sheet metal without seaming or soldering the cover to the vessel, and the cover held so firmly in position that it cannot be removed without a partial destruction thereof, all as will be fully set forth hereinafter and subsequently claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a vertical section through a vessel embodying my present invention, taken on the line 1 1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a plan view. Fig. 3 isaside elevation of the cover, and Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 are detail sectional views.

My present invention is in some respects very similar to that previously patented to me on November 24:, 1896, No. 571,814, inasmuch as the closure is primarily effected in the same manner as in said prior patent; but my present invention is designed for use in such cases (such as in the instance of goods liable to be tampered with, for example) where it is essential that the cover shall be incapable of being released without injury thereto, and hence in this respect it is the very opposite to my said prior invention.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the vertical wall of a sheet-rnetal vessel, which is provided with an inwardly; extending shoulder a, from which rises an annular flange b, said flange first extending in a substantially vertical plane and thence flaring outwardly, as shown at c, thence extending inwardly on a horizontal plane, as shown at d, and terminating in an upright annular flange or collar 6.

B represents the cover or closure, the same having a horizontal annularrim f, with a downward-extending flange g, first extending inwardly to a point adapted, when the vessel isclosed, to come in contact with the part c of the vessel-flange and thence flaring ontwardly, as shown at It. From the inner edge through the said cover-flange h g, as indicated by the dotted line min Fig. 3. a

E is a ring or gasket, of suitable flexible material, interposed between the said vessel and cover, and is shown in Fig. 1 in the form of a flat gasket separating the flange d and annular rim fand closely surrounding the up right annular flange c.

My vessel is closed by springing the cover to place upon the vessel, as clearly described in my said prior patent hereinbeforc named, with the looking or wedging contact between the cover and vessel on a single horizontal plane and exerting a downward pressure on the inclined exterior surface of the vessel, as

.in said prior device; but in addition thereto there is in my present invention a contact be tween the collar e of the vessel and the annular flange z' of the cover, which, coupled with the fact that in the present case there is no projection on the cover-flange to act'with an adjacent fulcrum-point on the vessel, as

there was in said prior patent, prevents this present cover from being sprung off, as the cover of the previous patent was.

When the cover is to be removed, the key 0 is detached therefrom (said key being usually held to place by a drop of solder) and engaged Withthe described tongue D and turned so as to tear the flange h 9 along the slit 7.: and weakened line on and wind said flange on the key untila sufficient portion of the flange has been thus broken. away from the cover along the outer edge of the rim portion f to overcome the grip of. the previouslydescribed locking and wedging contact, when the said cover can be easily removed. In this condition it is no longer possible to replace the cover, so as to lock it to place as before; but owing to the described inner flan go of the vessel-top and corresponding inner flange of the cover the cover can be still used to exclude dust and air from the contents of the vessel.

In Fig 4 I have shown the described construction of the closure independent of the heads or ends of the vessel and cover, as itis obvious that the closure will be precisely the same whether the part A be the vessel and the part B the cover, or vice versa, as it is only necessary that the outer one of these two parts shall be of sheet metal and be provided with means for the purpose of effecting the separation of the two parts A and B destructively. Similarly the material of the vessel may be other than sheet metal-such as a glass fruit-jar, for eXampleand by this term vessel I include boxes, cans, and other packages, irrespective of their contour in cross-section, as well as the breasts, necks, or nozzles of said vessels of less size than that of the body proper of the same.

In Fig. 5 I have illustrated a modified form of my closure, wherein the collar (2 of the vessel-flange projects downward instead of upward, as in Fig. 1,'and therefore the corresponding flanged of the cover rises above the general plane of the cover instead of projecting below the same, as in Fig. 1, this being immaterial so long as the projection of the parts 6 and 1, is in a direction generally longitudinal with the vessel either up or down. The cover B maybe stamped up from a single sheet of metal, as in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, or, if preferred, may be made in two parts, as indicated in Figs. 6 and 7, and, as shown in Fig. 5, there may be a slight inclination from the vertical of the said parts 8 and t to insure a closer fit of theseparts when the closure is effected.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A closure for vessels, comprising a cover having a downward -'eXtending sheet-metal flange, provided with an inward bend or contraction for contact with the exterior surface of the vessel to be closed, and a tongue projecting beyond the lower line of said flange, and united to said flange on a readily-separable line, for forcible detachment therefrom, in the opening of the vessel.

2. The combination with a vessel of a cover having a downward-extending sheet-metal spring-flange provided with an inward bend for wedging contact with the upper exterior part of said vessel on a plane below the top thereof, said top being of greater diameter than that at the plane of contact, whereby the said cover is held in place by more contact, but incapable of removal without partial destruction thereof, and a tongue projecting from said flange and united thereto on a readily-separable line, for forcible detachment in the said destructive removal of the cover.

3. The combination with a vessel provided with an outwardly-flaring flange having an inwardly-extended portion terminating in a longitudinally extended collar, of a cover having a longitudinally extended portion conforming to said collar, an outwardly-extended portion in line with and extending beyond the projection of the said inwardly-extended portion and a downwardly-extended flange provided with an inward bend or. contraction for contact with the said outwardlyflaring vessel-flange.

4:. The combination with a vessel provided with an outwardly-flaring flange having an inwardly-extended portion terminating in a longitudinally-extended collar, of a gasket surrounding said collar and a cover having a longitudinally-extended portion conforming to said collar and an outwardly-extended portion in line with and extending beyond the projection of the said inwardly-extended portion, and in contact with said gasket, and terminating in a downwardly-extended flange provided with an inward bend or contraction for contact with the said outwardly-flaring vessel-flange.

5. The combination with a vessel provided with an outwardly-flaring flange having an inwardly-extended portion terminating in a longitudinally-extended collar, of a cover having a longitudinallyextended portion conforming to saidv collar and an outwardly-extended portion in line with and extending beyond the projection of the said inwardly-extended portion and terminating in a downwardly-extended flange, provided with an inward bend or contraction for contact with the said outwardly-flaring vessel-flange, and said cover-flange having a tongue projecting therefrom, and united thereto on a readilyseparable line, the said cover being held in place by mere contact, but incapable of removal without partial destruction thereof, and the said tongue affording the means for the said destructive removal of the cover.

6. The combination with a vessel provided with an outwardly-flaring portion, of a cover having a downwardly-extending sheet-metal flange provided with an inward bend or contraction for contact with the exterior surface of said outwardly-flaring portion of said vessel, a ring or gasket of suitable flexible material, interposed between the said vessel and cover, and means for the ready separation of a portion of the said flange when the cover is to be removed from the vessel.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANCIS A. WALSH.

l/Vitnesses H. G. UNDERVVOOD, B. O. ROLOFF. 

